The workers have spent thousands of euros on documents, but they have been waiting for months for an exit permit that has not arrived. In the spotlight, the consulting firm VFS Global, in charge of managing administrative paperwork. Intermediaries and scammers who take advantage of the conditions of necessity to do business are also involved.
Dhaka () – A dispute over visas involving brokers and fraudsters is raising protests among many Bangladeshi migrant workers who, after spending thousands of euros on permits, are waiting in vain to be able to leave. Not least because, after registering all the documentation and obtaining the permit, it takes between six and seven months to make an appointment and, even then, the processing time remains uncertain. Meanwhile, the applicants – many of whom have Italy as their dream and final destination – remain suspended in limbo and live in inhumane conditions.
Mohammad Apu, from Naoganon, is one of these victims. He received authorization from him on May 17 after paying more than 10,600 euros that he raised by borrowing money, but he cannot leave because VFS Global, after eight months, has still not given him his passport. It is the global technology and outsourcing services company for governments and diplomatic missions, which is in charge of administrative tasks related to the issuance of visas and passports for its client governments.
“In May last year,” Apu told , “I paid 13.5 takh to get the permit, but I’m still waiting. I go to the VFS Global office in Gulshan-1 four days a week, but the problem is not resolved. has been resolved. Now I have no money and I live in inhumane conditions with my family. Rumana Akter, a 40-year-old woman from Natore, also struggled to get a passport to go to Italy. “I have been suffering for a long time,” she explains, “because our passports are held hostage by VFS. “I am under great pressure, caught between increasing family expenses and the burden of debt incurred.”
According to the rules of the Italian embassy in Bangladesh, to apply for a visa you have to make an appointment online through the VFS Global website. However, the company is the subject of millions of complaints from people who claim that appointments are not made without intermediaries and that large sums of money are paid, leading to poor management. A controversy that grew over time and ended up occupying the pages of several newspapers.
In response, a meeting was held between the Italian ambassador and officials from the Ministry of Expatriate Welfare. Victims report that scammers in Italy offer fake authorization permits, while local intermediaries embezzle money by promising to guarantee visa appointments. Furthermore, there is a shortage of service providers, causing long delays that end up causing serious harm and suffering to migrant workers. To date, the passports of at least 100,000 applicants are held by the Italian embassy and VFS Global.
The Italian ambassador in Dhaka, Antonio Alessandro, noted that many applicants provide false information in visa applications, which takes a long time to verify. The diplomat also expressed concern that intermediaries charge excessive fees to applicants, which is “unacceptable.” Minister Shafiqur Rahman Chowdhury adds that the conversation with the Italian diplomat included measures to avoid harassment and abuse also because, he adds, “Italy is interested in legally hiring 700,000 workers.”
The duration of agricultural work in Italy is nine months. However, after receiving the nulla osta it takes between six and seven months to get a visa appointment. The applicants, frustrated by the vain wait, formed a human chain in front of the Italian embassy on March 27 and April 22. They complained that they could not get the company to give them a visa appointment even after obtaining work permits and spending thousands of rupees. In response, VFS Global announced that a new online appointment booking system is being developed in accordance with instructions provided by the embassy.
Subir Nath, one of the many people waiting for a visa, told that “there is no way to know” if an authorization is fake or authentic before applying for the visa and that “only the embassy can verify it.” Taking advantage of this situation, intermediaries demand money for false permits, deceiving many unwary people.
Around 7.40 million Bangladeshi immigrants live abroad and are among the largest expatriate communities in Italy: in 2022 there were 150,692.
Add Comment